CBC-Sports

Big decision looms during all-star break

January 22, 2009 01:05 PM | Posted by   Scott Morrison  

There aren't any games scheduled in the NHL Thursday night, but it is a big night nonetheless.

Make that a huge night.

That's because the NHL Players' Association executive board will be holding a conference call to decide whether the players will opt out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement this summer.

The board will review the results of the 30-team survey that was collected by NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly on his fall tour of the teams. The survey of the players will provide an indication of how the masses feel, but it is the executive board that does the binding voting.

There is no official word on when the results will be released, though there is a sense that if the decision is to continue with the CBA for another two years it will be released this weekend, when the all-star festivities are happening in Montreal. If the news is to opt out, it will be announced next week.

It would be a huge surprise if the players decide to opt out. Yes, there are flaws in the current CBA, but those flaws impact both sides. Yes, the players can't be pleased with the prospect of having a quarter of their salary held in escrow as protection against potential declining revenues, but over the course of this CBA those escrow payments have been slight and the average salary has grown from $1.8 million US before the lockout to $2.23 million.

And each year the salary cap has risen.

So while there may be flaws, given the economy and given the overall strength of the game the league and the players don't need another labour dispute and, worse than that, a labour disruption.

A vote to opt out doesn't mean the two sides can't agree to play without an agreement, but the threat of another lockout would be great - and devastating.

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